Games Japan Festa 2005

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This year's biggest games go on display in Osaka.

By IGN Staff

There's no doubting that the Tokyo Game Show is the biggest yearly event in Japanese gaming, but those who can't get up to Tokyo for the September event have had a second option for the past few years: the Games Japan Festival. Set in Osaka, a two hour Shinkansen ride from Tokyo, this year's event took place over the weekend.

In all, 21 companies had 88 games on display at the event. While most of the titles were identical to their Tokyo Game Show builds, there were a few updates, and some new games all together.

Microsoft was pushing Xbox 360 in one of the last large-scale event before the system sees release on 12/10. Sixteen titles were on display through 24 kiosks. Perfect Dark Zero (a launch title) and Project Gotham Racing 3 (set for January) made their playable Japanese debuts at the event, each with two kiosks. PDZ could be played split screen with two players, while PGR3 showed off its Japanese side through its Shinjuku course. Ninety-Nine Nights (set for January) and Kameo also had two kiosks a piece. Ridge Racer 6 was shown in updated form over the TGS build, as was Taito's World Airforce, which was on display for the first time with its new name, Over G.

Other X360 games on display included Every Party, Enchant Arm, Need for Speed Most Wanted, FIFA 06, Wrestle Kingdom, Dynasty Warriors 5 Special, NBA Live 06, Call of Duty 2, Dead Rising and King Kong. Tetris (a launch title) wasn't shown. Also missing was Dead or Alive 4. Tecmo's fighter is still scheduled for Japanese launch as of this writing and is actually playable at Microsoft's Xbox 360 Lounge in Tokyo.

Nintendo's presence at the show focused primarily on the DS, although there was some GameCube and Game Boy Advance product shown as well. GameCube was represented by Mario Party 7, which saw release in Japan this past week. The DS had Animal Crossing and Mario Kart.

The PSP countered the DS with game downloads via the PlayStaion Spot, which was placed in the main Games Japan Festival 2005 booth. Players could download Exit, Irregular Hunter X, Bytto Hell, Metal Gear Acid 2, Loco Roco and Rockman Rockman.

Among third parties, Square Enix was among the most generous, with two games making their playable debut at the show: Final Fantasy IV Advance and Front Mission 5 Scars of War. Other games from Japan's biggest RPG maker included Kingdom Hearts 2 and Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 2. Providing some competition in the RPG category was Sony Computer Entertainment who had Rogue Galaxy on display in the main Game Japan Festival booth. Namco also drew RPG fans with Tales of the Abyss, although fans of other genres could also look forward to Soul Calibur III and Boku no Watashi no Katamari Damacy.

Sega mostly repeated its TGS showing, with a lineup that included Ryu ga Gotoku, Sega Rally 2006, Shadow the Hedgehog (PS2 & GameCube versions) and Super Monkey Ball DS. PSU drew the usual lengthy lines, but it was nothing compared to what was on display in the Capcom booth.

Capcom had Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, Monster Hunter Portable, Resident Evil 4 and Monster Hunter 2 on display and was also housing Spike's Shinobido. The biggest title of the show, in terms of absurd waits, was Monster Hunter 2. Thirty minutes after the show opened, the line was already at 75 minutes. Later in the day, the line stretched to 240 minutes. Unless Capcom was fibbing about the wait time, it appears that people were willing to wait six hours to play one game!

The smaller publishers were also out in force. Tomy had Zoid Full Metal Crush and Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 for the GameCube. Taito showed off Lost Magic through download play along with PSP titles like Exit and Jet de Go! Pocket. Tecmo had Gallop Racer 8 for PS2 and Karakuri for PSP. Irem brought out Blocks Club with Bumpy Trot and Disaster Report 2, with Atlus showing off its new PS2 Devil Summoner game.

The event also offered some big game competitions and stage shows. Nintendo had gamers compete in Mario Party 7, with Konami doing the same for Winning Eleven 9 Asia Championship. Red Entertainment's popular president Hiroi Ouji, creator of the Tengai Makyo and Sakura Taisen series, held a thirty minute talk show in which he revealed that one of his goals was to quit Red and become a free creator, taking the world on all by himself!

For the Japanese game market (and Sega, the parent company of Red), that revelation alone is enough to make the Games Japan Festival 2005 an event to remember.